"Race Report & Upcoming Races" Thread (Read 7734 times)

The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

First, it was hot (well, hot for us! Sunny and 75!). Second, it was hilly, and the start was at the top of the hill, so first we ran down, then up, then down, then came the killer, only about 50' of climb, but steep. I powered up that and topped 178 HR at the top. Rested a bit on the long downhill and got my HR under control, and then came the real climb, 150' in the last 1/2 mile.

Anyway, ended up with 9mm for a 5k, and felt like I didn't leave much extra. I am starting to trust that 160bpm is a good effort I can maintain for at least 3 miles, and 180 very near redline. In the end it was a good hill workout, and a fun, local run for a good cause. Saturday I'm running the color run, and then my taper for a half marathon next weekend.

I got separated from most of the group I went with at the starting crush, but managed to hang close to a family who I knew would have a good time (they're just the type of people who always enjoy themselves, and they run too). So, we finally got to the starting chute (they stage groups out every 5 minutes), and off we went. I didn't start a GPS app or my HRM or anything, it's just NOT that kind of event, right?! Well, the family's Dad, an active military man near my age, apparently did start his watch, and so did one of the kids.

We went out easy, and ramped up to a nice comfortable pace , felt like 9-10mm, and soon came to the first color gauntlet. After that slowdown, we weaved our way through the crowd and the boys started to pick up the pace, leaving the girls behind somewhere when I didn't notice. At that point, unless I wanted to run the color run by myself, I HAD to keep up...so I did. Somewhere, probably after the second color gauntlet, they started hooting and chanting in cadence, not singing, just hooting, and laughing, and RUNNING through the crowd! I kept up, not hooting, but saving my breath every chance, especially at the color gauntlets. Still, it was a BLAST running at that pace through the crowd, with the old man chanting and the kids answering and people looking and the kids laughing and weaving!

At the finish, they said we ran it in 23:23. At that point I knew it was not a full 5k, and probably very short. But I went home and google mapped it...and google says 3 miles... So, like I said, no timing, no GPS, so it didn't happen, but that looks like under 8mm to me (7:49 actually), except I'm not that fast over that distance!

Ran my half today, 2:07. I got what I expected, not what I wanted. I was on a 9:20 pace till the halfway point, then they routed us onto a trail section that was narrow, rutted, steep up/down, and a pace killer. After about a mile of that we came back out on the bike trail and I was on 9:40, and just could not recover. Then my upper fibula joint started to be irritated, and I had to walk the steep hills. Then, that finish, up the hill, down the hill, back up the hill...just not nice. In the end, 9:40ish, and my first half is done.

The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

5k PR! 25.09, 3 min. faster than last year same course! Is it LHR, or just running all winter? I dunno, but for a 3 min. PR, I know what I'm gonna do this winter!

finished last 1/4 mile at max HR, that really felt like all I had.

Congrats on the PR, John! 3 minutes is huge. One thing for sure is that MAF training didn't make you slower in 5k's (according to some you're just practicing to run slow and it makes you slow). Keep to it. You're healthy and on an awesome tract.

congrats! if you've hit upon a working training formula then by all means keep doing it! =)

I do think most of it is you training all winter consistently without injury. another part would be what specifically you did in your training.

Congrats John

+1.

Maff = fewer injuries = consistence = faster times

Run until the trail runs out.

SCHEDULE 2016--

The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

unsolicited chatter

MIBM HM goal was to run 1 loop 6.55 miles and volunteer the race. Did 13.1 miles instead. No major knee problem. 1st loop 1:42: x x. 2 loop 1:35: x x . I stayed at the aid station for about 6 minutes before starting the 2 loop. Walked and talked with Wendy (marathon maniac) on the 2 loop.Now ,I need to start running more than 1 day a week. 3:17: x x. HR 124 / 152(maff 122)

Run until the trail runs out.

SCHEDULE 2016--

The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

unsolicited chatter

It was about as humid as it can get and I was a bit worried about that, 94% humidity isn't something that I normally run in. But it was 65 degrees and overcast and a light cross breeze for 95% of the race so I think that more than made up for the humidity.

Started out a tiny bit too fast right at the gun, my runkeeper app gave me a 1 minute split pace of 6:50 something so I tried to slow it down a little bit and get into a groove. I guess I did! I'm amazed at how consistent my splits are. The first 3 or 4 miles I kept waiting for it to get harder, but I was just rocking along and my HRM kept telling me that I could keep this up. I didn't start crossing what I think my lactate threshold HR is until mile after the halfway mark and I knew I could keep that up as long as it didn't spike. Skipped the first aid station and then next one wasn't until the 3 mile mark. Just took a sip of water to moisten my mouth and poured another cup on my head. Still feeling good through mile 4 and 5, really getting confident, but not wanting to push it and blow up and miss my goal.

Another sip of water at mile 5.2 and another cup of water on my head and just kept rocking it on in. There was a guy ahead of me that was keeping a good constant pace and I just tried to stay about the same distance out from him. My split on mile 6 shows to be my slowest, I actually thought I was picking it up a little bit on that mile and my runkeeper app was telling me the same thing, but somehow when the GPS track got logged it shows a slowdown right before the 6 mile mark, I guess maybe I did slow down some there unintentionally. Started having to work at it and my breathing was getting labored, but my HRM was still telling me I was in good shape and when I turned the corner with about 300 yards to go. I was a little worried that my phone GPS could be off a bit, but I had been matching up with the mile markers pretty well so I wasn't really concerned.

Started to pick it up and bring it in, still had some left in the tank for sure. Saw the clock and it was a little closer than I had intended, I guess my GPS was off a little bit so I really had to hammer it on in the last 100 yards or so but came in under the clock as it ticked to 44:5X. I was very happy. Had to push it that last bit and was for sure feeling it from that, but I was really surprised at how well everything had gone otherwise.

Here's my splits, pretty consistent!

Splits (GPS Interval)

Type

Distance

Duration

Total Duration

Pace

Avg HR

Max HR

Notes

1

Manual

1 mi

7:13.81

7:13.81

7:14

165

174

2

Manual

1 mi

7:14.94

14:28.75

7:15

172

176

3

Manual

1 mi

7:13.26

21:42.01

7:14

174

179

4

Manual

1 mi

7:13.2

28:55.21

7:14

177

183

5

Manual

1 mi

7:14.51

36:09.72

7:15

179

188

6

Manual

1 mi

7:17.62

43:27.34

7:18

181

186

7

Manual

0.24 mi

1:32.66

45:00

6:27

186

192

I was pretty confident at about 4 miles in because my HR was lagging about 1 mile from last couple 10K races. My overall avg HR actually ended up lower by a couple beats than my last 10K.

Finished 1st in my Clydesdale division and 16th overall out of about 100 runners. Pretty happy to meet my goal. I really didn't know whether I was going to be able to do it or not when the gun went off to start the race.

Very happy to make this goal, at one point I thought it was unreachable for me.